Episode 210 -- April 18, 2022

Meditation Monday: Loving Ourselves and Others

Welcome to Meditation Monday. We're pausing each Monday for a few minutes of reflection and inspiration from the authors of the Hazelden Meditation series of books.

Meditations are daily reflections, prayers, slogans, and phrases intended to offer inspiration and comfort, and—above all—hope to those of us in recovery.

The selections for this mid-April Meditation Monday come from two of Hazelden's best-loved recovery resources: In God's Care and Answers in the Heart. Together, today's meditations invite us to regard ourselves with compassion and treat the people around us with love and care.

In God's Care

Self-love is not opposed to the love of other people. You cannot really love yourself and do yourself a favor without doing other people a favor, and vice versa.
- Dr. Karl Menninger

Self-love is not the same thing as egotism. As recovering people, we hated ourselves for so long that we were crippled by it. Learning to love ourselves again becomes a form of therapy--and appreciation for God's creation. And the delightful thing we learn is that we don't love ourselves without loving others, and we can't love others without loving ourselves. How wonderful!

We can't begin to love ourselves, however, without other people. People are essential, and so is God, from whom all love flows. We are thankful for God's love and ask God to teach us how to love others. And the more we practice doing loving acts for others, the more love we feel for ourselves.

I will practice loving myself today by loving others.

Answers in the Heart

To see, we must stop being in the middle of the picture.
—Satprem

Seeing something from another person's point of view is an important spiritual awakening. That moment of understanding is a gift. We didn't expect it, but suddenly it's there. Our world grows larger because our view of that person changes. That, in turn, deepens our awareness and can deepen the relationship itself. Having others take the risk of sharing themselves is precious because it shows that we have proven worthy of their trust.

It's a good feeling to sense the immediate connection that comes with understanding someone in a new way. We might experience compassion, love, or respect. One thing is sure: there is no room for the negative in a true moment of awakening. Such gifts come because we have been willing to search for them, and for that we can give ourselves credit.

May God help me to be truly interested in other people and in who they are.

About the Author:
In God's Care was written by Karen Casey and Homer Pyle.
The authors of Answers in the Heart, a man and a woman, have chosen to remain anonymous. Authorship is shown by the initials PW or SK at the end of each meditation.

In God's Care: Daily Meditations on Spirituality in Recovery © 1991 by Hazelden Foundation
Answers in the Heart: Daily Meditations for Men and Women Recovering from Sex Addiction © 1989 by the authors
All rights reserved